Palacio de San Telmo

"The San Telmo Palace was built in 1682 to house the Seminary College of the University of Seafarers. In 1849 it became the residence of the Dukes of Montpensier, who carried out major works, including the completion of the north tower and the construction of the entrance to the platform, the east wing and the ballroom. The new rooms were stuccoed and gilded by Pelli and Rossi and their walls were decorated with paintings brought from the Vista Alegre Palace. The ceilings of the ballroom were decorated by Rafael Tejeo. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the city, with a rectangular floor plan with four towers and a large central courtyard, with an 18th-century entrance by Leonardo de Figueroa and a side façade, which has sculptures dedicated to illustrious figures from Seville and made by Antonio Susillo. The Palace had running water, bathrooms, electricity, telegraph and even its own pier to access the Guadalquivir, as well as Versailles-style gardens, over eighteen hectares in size, which later became the María Luisa Park. The Chapel of the Palace of San Telmo represents a jewel of Andalusian and Spanish art, with a single nave, a barrel vault and five altarpieces: the main one, dedicated to the Virgin of Buen Aire, two on the Epistle side, with Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Anthony, and two others on the Gospel side, presided over by a crucified Christ and Saint Joseph. Doña María Luisa Fernanda, upon her death in 1897, donated the Palace to the Archbishopric. In 1901 it became a Diocesan Seminary, a period in which important modifications were made, especially in the south wing and the courtyard of the station. Since 1989 it has belonged to the Andalusian Government, which, after rehabilitating several areas and recovering its status as a palace, converted it into the headquarters of the Presidency of the Andalusian Government in April 1992."